Atlantic City using seasonal officers second year in row

Atlantic City will supplement its ranks with seasonal officers for the second summer in a row.

Thirteen Special Law Enforcement Officer IIs will graduate 5 p.m. Friday at the Atlantic County Institute of Technology.

The officers have similar powers to full-time officers but are paid on an hourly rate and do not get health benefits, saving taxpayers money. They are limited in their abilities, including not having police powers when they are not on duty or outside the city. They also cannot take their guns home.

The officers can work 48-hour weeks during the summer season, but just 20 hours the rest of the year. Atlantic City hired the so-called Class IIs for the first time last summer to help add to the ranks and free up full-time officers for the more problematic areas in the city.

Atlantic City currently has four Class IIs after losing several to Camden, which recently hired new officers. All must be city residents.